Spare tire carrier for road vehicles



p 1932- D. s. KENNEDY ET AL SPARE TIRE CARRIER FOR ROAD VEHICLES Filed March 5, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 27,- 1932- D. s. KENNEDY ET AL 1,879,304

SPARE TIRE CARRIER FOR ROAD VEHICLES Filed March 5, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 27, 1932 0. $..KENNEDY ET AL ,879,304 SPARE TIRE CARRIER FOR ROAD VEHICLES Filed March 5, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 27, 1932 UNITED STA ES PATENT OFFICE,

nonALn STUART KENNEDY AND IR IN rnnvenlon KEMVPE, or LONGIARISH;

. ENGLAND SPARE TIRE CARRIER roanoan vnnIcLns 1 Application filed March 5, 1 31, Serial nasaaase, and Great Britain April 17, 1930 I This invention has reference to a device for carrying spare wheels (or rim-fitted tires) on road vehicles. It is particularly applicable to automobile trucks or heavy vehicles fitted with either removable wheels or b removable rims having giant pneumatic tires; these large tires are extremely heavy so that it is not only diflicult to house them on the vehicle but even more diiiicult to handle them, that is to say, to hoist them into the storage position and to bring themfro-m their storage-place on the vehicle when it becomes necessary to change av damaged wheel or tire.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simplified andcompact device which will enable these heavy spare wheels or rimfitted tires to be handled effectively and quickly. Anotherobject is to provide a support for the spare. wheel which can be swung out from the vehicle by means provided upon the support and yet remain parallel to the side of the vehicle throughout the swinging operation. Further objects are to provide a power-operated device of this character, to provide a self-contained unitfor attachment to an existing vehicle, to latch the. device automatically in the travelling (or storage position), and to render the so device self-sustaining when lifting a spare wheel, or the damaged wheel, to the storage position.

The invention is hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, showing the device attached to the side of the cabofa motor road vehicle, with a spare wheel in the upper (travelling) position upon the device, the wheel being also shown in chain lines in its lower-ed position.

Figure 2 is a view of the device seen at right angles to Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged view in section, of the support showing a revoluble hub and cable-engaging pulley and a motor for rotating said pulley.

Figures 4 and 5 are front and side elevations showing an automatlc latching device. Flgure 6 is an enlarged elevation showing the cable-engaging pulley fittedwith. a ratchet -which preferably are similar to those emholder or support 0.

to the Cabchassis or bodywork of the vehicle Figure 10 shows attachment lugsorbrackets upon an outer frame.

The spare wheel or the rim-fitted tire a is detachab-lyconnected with the hub b of the displaceable holder or support 0 by .mechanical devices, such as nuts and bolts (Z,

ployed to secure the 'sparewheel to the hub, is CllSk or like member of the road wheel. The wheel a is thus mounted flat against the This laterallydisplaceable support cv may consist of a plate, frame or th e like which'is pivotally attachedto the upper ends of a plurality of parallel links ee which are also pivoted at their normally lower ends as. at

e e to an outer iixed frame or housing. The support 0 s shownprovided with webs 0 0 the former being pivotally attached to the two links c6 and the latter beingpivotally attached to the link 6 This frame or housing f may be bolted or otherwise secured V, for example through the lugs Figure 10, and when only its lower end-can be conveniently bolted in place, as upon'the side of a chassis, any suitable form of strut or tie-' rod 7 maybe used, as will be obvious.

In the arrangement illustrated, the link 6 is arranged between two links 6 e and whilst the links 6 c are shown rectilinear, the link is cranked or bowed to clear the pivot 6 when the links are in their upper position. 7

l/Vhilst we have shown three pivoted links e e 6 it is to be understood that twoor more parallel links may be employed. They act in the manner of a parallel-rule device in-= support 0 can be swung. During this swinging movement, the support 0 remains parallel with the side of the vehicle.

The support 0 is provided with two rollers g 9 carried by spindles g set across a collar 0 formed with or mounted upon the support 0, and with a second pair of rollers g 9* mounted in a similar manner below and at right angles to the rollers g 9 all these rollers serving to guide a cable h which passes through the collar 0 to be wound upon a revoluble member such as a grooved pulley 2' mounted in the holder 0. This pulley 2' is upon the-rear side of-the holder 0 and is connected with a drum or the like forming a false hub 6 upon the front of the support, so that as the hub b is rotated, the pulley 2' is simultaneously rotated. This false hub 19 carries the spare wheel or rim-fitted tire. When the spare wheel a has been secured upon the hub Z), as by bolts and nuts (Z, and is manually r tated, the pulley 2' will be correspondingly revolved and will wind up the cable h on the pulley or will allow thecable to be un-' wound from the pulley 2'-. In either case, the pulley 2' travels along the cable 71 as a result of the rotation of hub b, and this pulley 2' alters and controls the position of the support 0 along the cable.

This controlling pulley '5 is shown provided on its inside flange with a ratchet wheel 21 engaged by a pivoted pawl 2" so that the pulley is self-sustaining, when raisin the support a. The pawl 2' may be lifted when it is desired to free the pulley for lowering purposes. 7

Instead of rotating the hub b by manual effort upon the tire, the hub can obviously be rotated by a detachable crank handle engaging, for example, a boss on the hub b.

The end of the cable 7. remote from that secured to the controlling pulley 2' is shown anchored at'd to the support 0 after passing ver a purchase pulley y' mounted in a fixed position such as on the cross member 7 of the outer frame This pulley is between the anchorage c and the pulley 2', along the run of the cable It.

In the upper half of Figure 1, the linkmounted support 0 for the spare wheel a is shown in its travelling position substantially flat against the side of the cab, the cable It being wound up on the pulley z', and the cable bearing against the rollers and {1 In the lower half of Figure 1, the spare wheel a (shown in chain lines) is assumed to have been rotated manually so asto unwind the cable from the controlling pulley 2', and the pivoted links a e e have swung outwardly and downwardly about their pivotal con nections e 6 with the vehicle to bring the "\displaceable holder or support 0 carrying the wheel a, to a grounded position, the cable h now bearing against rollers 57 and 9.

When in this grounded posltion, the wheel a can be easily removed from the hub I) after disconnecting the nuts and bolts (Z the damaged wheel replaced by the spare wheel can afterwards be mounted on the support 0 and be hoisted to the travelling position by again manually rotating the damaged wheel but this time in the opposite direction. so as to wind up the cable h on pulley 2' (the pulley travelling along cable It) and so raise the damaged wheel on the support 0 to the upper or storage position.

It 'i ll be observed that the purchase pulley j provides for the varying angular inclination of cable It between its two extreme positions andthat one or other of the rollers g and one or other of the lower rollers g bear against the cable as it passes through collar 0 We have shown between pulley 2' and hub Z) (see Figure 3) a reduction gear comprising a. pinion meshing with an internally toothed ring 2' upon'a flanged xtension 2' from the pulley 2'. The bearings for the hub b and pulley 2' may be ball or roller, if desired.

We have also shown a T-shaped handle is upon the front of the holder or support 0, to assist in lifting the wheel to clear the ground and so to fa'cilitate'manual rotation of the wheel a.

I In Figures 4 and 5, we show on the frame f 1 the support 0 and thereby latch the support in the travelling or storage position. As the support is brought up to its travelling position, the pins m we automatically enter the retaining notches Z Z These lever'catches are freed by raising their weighted arms The brackets 7 may be provided with stop pins Z to limit the fall of the weighted end of the lever. Obviously the levers Z Z may be pivoted upon the side of the vehicle, if l desired.

Where required, an adapter in the form of an annulus 5 (see Figure 3) may be fitted between the hub 7) and the web or disc of the spare wheel illustrated.

In Figure 1 of the drawings, we have shown the improved carrier device projecting from one side of the vehicle V but obvi ously it is possibleto'arrange for two spare wheels to be carried, one of these devices be ing provided on each side of the vehicle.

that case, see Figure 7, the second similar carrier device associated with the first, may have a flexible connection such as a. cable It common to both devices; the cable It is secured at.

and downwardly from its side of the vehicle.

- pulley 2', the end of the flexible connection it remote from'the revoluble hub 6 being an-- this arrangement, the cable h is still revoluble hub and pulley 2'.

V which is mounted on the chassis V 7 anchored upon the vehicle but one pulley 2' acts as the anchorage of the cable It for the other car rier, and the pulley can (if desired) be dispensed with, the cable it passing transversely across the vehicle as shown.

It is not, however, necessary that the sec- 0nd of the carrier supports should have a In some cases, see' Figure 8, only one support (2 is provided with a revoluble hub Z) and pulley 2', the other support- C having a hub b lined in position on that support 0, andeither support 0 or C can be lowered or raisedas a result of the rotation of the one revoluble hub b and cable chored to the fined hub 13 or its frame.

Instead of a grooved pulleyz, we may employ any othersuitable form of revolu-cle' member upon the. support 0 to engage the cable h or either flexible connection.

Further, the support 0 may be raisedfrom its lower position to its upper position by power-operated means. For this purpose,

we indicate in Figs. 3 and 9, an electric motor I M secured in any suitable manner upon the support 0, and having adriving pinion 11 adapted to be brought into mesh, when required, with speed-reducing gear such as spur wheels 91 meshed with'an e3; ernally toothed ring a upon the flanged extension from V pulley i. This power-operated means is required only when raisin the support '0 and wheel (a thereon, so the pinion a must be disconnectible, e. g. by sliding on a spliner upon its spindle r, from the gears W. The electric leads 00 for the motor M will preferably pass along the links 6 or e as shown in the diagram of Figure 9. Current may be obtained from accumulators 79 p carried upon the ve hicle V. By this arrangement, the raising of the holder or support 0 can be power-operated when required, without interfering with manual operation and raising of the link-litted support 0- It. is to be understood that the hub Z) on the link-fitted support 0 is so shaped as to take the spare wheel or rimfitted tire. In

the drawings, a disc wheel a is fitted but obiously spoked wheels can be employed, the hub Z) or b then engaging the centre ring of the spoked wheelandbeing secured thereon in any usual manner.

In the appended claims we wishit to be understood that the expression mounted spare tire includes both a spare wheel fitted with a tire and aremovable rim fitted with a tire.

What we claim is p 1. A. device of the character described, comprising a support, a hub rev olubly mounted on said support, a rotatable pulley also mounted on said support, said pulley being operatively connected with said revolub'le hub, a ratchet wheel secured upon said pulley pivotally connected at one end with the ve-' hicle and at the other end with-the said support, and means operatedby the rotation of said hub and pulley-for moving the links and link-mounted support about the pivotal con nections between said links and the vehicle.

A device for carrying a mounted spare the v: on anautomobile vehicle and for transterring it from lLS storage position to its grounded position, comprising a fixed frame upon the vehicle, a dis'placeable support for said spare tire, plurality of links pivotally attached at one end to said support and at the other end to ead lined frame, an operating hub revolubly arranged upon said support, a

controlling member mounted .on the supportand rotatable with said-revoluble hub, and means operated by the rotat on of said con trolling member and revoluble hub for swinging the links and link-mounted support out wardly and downwardly from the vehicle.

3. A mounted spar tirecarrier, adapted to transfer said tire from a storage position on a vehicle to a grounded position comprisa fixed frame upon the vehicle, a displaceable support, parallel link members pivoted at one end to said support and pivotally connected at the other end to said fixed frame, a rotatable hub mounted on said support, a con-- trolling member rotatably mounted on said support, a driving connection between said hub and said controllingmember, and means for swinging said link-fitted support about its pivotal connections by the rotation of said hub and controlling member. V

4. Acarrier device for a mounted spare tire of the giant-pneumatic type, comprising a displaceable support, a plurality of parallel link-members, said link-members being secured by pivotal connections at one end to operatively engaged by said controlling pulley.

5; A mounted spare tire carrier of the type described, comprising a frame adapted tobe secured to the side of a vehicle, a displaceable support, parallel link-members pivoted to said support and to said frame, a rotatable hubmounted on said support, said hub adapt-V ed to carry the spare tire, a llexibleconnectionhaving an anchorage at one end upon the support, a purchase pulley overwhich said flexible connection passes, saidpurchase pulley' being arranged upon the said frame, and a revoluble member also mounted onsald support ano operatively connected with said rotatable hub, said revoluble member being adapted to engage said flexible connection and to wind itself along said flexible connec= tion.

(5. A mounted spare tire carrier for use on an automobile vehicle, comprising a support, upper and lower links arranged between said support and the veh cle, said links each in- I eluding a pivot at each end, whereby said supouter parallel link members, an inner link 7 member arranged between said outer link members, all said link members having pivotal connections at one end with said support, an outer frame adapted to be attached to the Vehicle. pivotal connections carried by said outer name for the other ends of said link members, the pivotal connections of the inner link member being at lower levels than those of the outer link members, an upper cross member on said outer frame, a purchasepulley mounted on said cross member, a rotatable hub mounted on said support, a revoluble controlling pulley arranged on said support and operatively connected with said rotatable hub, a flexible connection, said flexible connection being secured at one end to said displaceable support and passin over said purchase pulley, said flexible connection being engaged with and wound upon said'revoluble controlling pulley.

8. A device of the character described, including a support, a false hub revolubly mounted on said support, said hub adapted to carry the spare tire, a rotatable controlling pulley also mounted on said support, said pulley being operatively connected with said revoluble false hub, means for holding said controlling pulley against backward rotation, a plurality of parallel links pivotally connected at one end with the vehicle and at the other end with the said supportand means for swinging the link-mounted support about its pivotal connections by the rotation of said false hub and controlling pulley. i

' 9. A device of the character described, comprising a displaceable support, a hub revolubly mounted on said support, said hub adapted to carry the spare tire, a rotatable pulley also mounted on said support, a reducthe character described,

tion gear arranged between said hub and said pulley, said pulley being operatively connected with saic revoluble hub through said reduction gear, a ratchet wheel secured on said pulley, a pawl pivoted on said support and engaging said ratchet wheel, a plurality of links, pivotal connections between one end of said links and the vehicle, pivotal connections between the other end of said links and said displaceable support, and means operated by'the rotation of said hub andpulley for moving said links andsaid link-mounted support about the pivotal connections between said links and the vehicle.

10. In a motor road vehicle, in combination, a displaceable support having a revoluble hub and a rotatable pulley mounted there-. on, said hub and pulley being rotatable together, a plurality of parallel links, said support being pivoted upon the outer ends of said links, the inner ends of said links being pivotally connected withone side of the road vehicle. a second displaceable support having a revoluble hub and a rotatable pulleyv mounted thereon, said second hub and pulley being rotatable together, a second set of parallel links. said second displaceable support being pivoted upon the outer ends of said second set of links, the inner ends of said second set of links being pivotally connected with the other side of the vehicle, each of said hubs adapted to carry a mounted spare tire, means for holding each of said pulleys against backward rotation, and a flexible connection arranged transversely of the vehicle and anchored at one end to said first rotatable pulley and at its opposite end to said second rotatable pulley, so that either of said pulleys can travel along said flexible connection. In testimony whereof we hereto afiix our signatures.

DONALD STUART KENNEDY. IR-WIN TREVANION KEMPIL.- 

